Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Melissa Melendez
Professor Batty
English 28
13 December 2017
You may have already noticed some of the gender inequality that happens around you but
its not just a problem that persists here in the United States. There are cross-cultural differences
around the world when it comes to understanding female sexuality, it has to do with gender
domination and things like family, marriage religion, etc. Women are treated differently in
different places, according to certain cultural practices; culture heavily affects ones
understanding of female sexuality, whether we like it or not, it shapes who we are and what we
can and cannot do in everyday life such as being able to work, having to stay home with the kids,
or even being able to go out and run errands alone. (For example: the Dominican Republic vs.
the U.S.)
You may ask yourself, What are the cross-cultural differences? Well, they have to do
with the different power/gender ratios and legal, moral, and religious restrictions on sexuality
from country to country and from culture to culture as well as with the possible relationship
between femininity, sexuality, and culture. The theory is that females are seen as having a
smaller role in society than men based on things like family, marriage, religion, education,
politics, tradition, and the economy. It also has to do with gender domination and certain
traditional practices. The definition of the suppression of female sexuality itself is the pattern of
cultural influence by which girls and women are induced to avoid feeling sexual desire and to
refrain from sexual behavior. (Baumeister and Twenge 167.) How the Garcia Girls Lost Their
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Accents is a novel about four girls who are forced to flee their home country the Dominican
Republic and move to the United States after their father is discovered trying to overthrow the
dictator. The four sisters (Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sophia) must adapt to the new language
and culture of the United Stated but they never did forget their roots, as they would go back to
visit their family in their home country. Author Julia Alvarez went through something similar
herself, having had to adapt to living in New York after migrating from the Dominican Republic.
For example, there is a quote that shows how the women are not allowed to go anywhere without
a male escort or a bodyguard. This is not the states, Tia Flor says, with a knowing smile. A
woman just doesnt travel alone in this country. Especially these days. (Alvarez, 9). This is an
example of one of the differences between how women are treated differently according to that
countrys cultural views on women; in this case the Dominican Republic vs the U.S.
Family is one of the cross-cultural differences that place a key role in the novel How the
Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents is set in the sixties, at a time when small things like wearing
jeans and hoop earrings were considered [to be] political acts against the military-industrial
complex (Alvarez, 28). For example, there is a part in the book where the girls father says I
dont want loose women in the family, he had cautioned all his daughters. Warnings were
delivered communally, even though there was usually the offending daughter of the moment,
every womens character could use extra scolding. His daughters had had to put up with this kind
of attitude (Alvarez, 28). This quote really shows how family influences how they could act
and what they could do. The father is basically sharing his expectations of the girls behavior and
life choices by saying he doesnt want loose women in the family; this limits how the girls can
express their female sexuality just to comply with their familys expectations. It also says that his
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daughters had to put up with his attitude whether they wanted to or not, which goes to show how
family and culture will mold women, and there isnt anything women can really do about it.
Now, there are many different theories on what might cause the suppression of female
sexuality. Two of the theories are based on evolution, meaning that over time, peoples views on
female sexuality from cultural and social viewpoints have come to shape what are todays gender
practices are. Two other theories are based on the belief that gender itself is responsible for the
suppression of female sexuality. These theories discuss the probability that one gender, either
men or women in general, subconsciously work to restrain womens sexual behavior. These
theories are that based on evolution, peoples views on female sexuality from cultural and social
viewpoints have come to shape the gender practices of today and that gender itself plays a role in
the suppression of female sexuality whether each gender realizes it or not, they just work in a
way where a man comes off as more powerful than a woman. These theories are described in a
journal from the American Psychological Association that discusses a few theories on why there
isnt balance between the two genders, male and female. The APA is the largest professional
scientific association of psychologists in the United States and only publishes journals written by
top professionals in this field. The authors, Jean Twenge and Roy Baumeister have tons of
experience in this study with Twenge having written more than one hundred forty scientific
publications and Baumeister having been researching the connection between female sexuality
Men may say, Why should women be considered equal if men have always been the
head of the house. The 21st century brought a shift in the typical model family, as well as a
greater recognition for women in legislation to give women more equal rights, courts are
recognizing that women should have a bigger part in society that what society has been
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accustomed to for years. In these years, women have become far more independent
(economically and socially). Women make up a large percentage of the workforce and higher-
education graduates of countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. However, there
is still a gap between the genders that is keeping them from becoming exactly equal. This gap is
caused by gender stereotypes from cultural and social viewpoints; which strongly influence how
we think men and women should behave. For example, according to the article Gender Roles in
Society- Masculinity and Femininity, people believe women should be stay-at-home mothers
who cook, clean, and care for their families while men are seen as having to work, protect their
Gender roles affect how women may develop their personality traits, domestic behaviors,
occupation, and their physical appearance. For example, in a male-dominated society, it isnt as
acceptable for a woman to earn more money than a man, and the idea of a stay-at-home dad
would most likely be frowned upon. Women wouldnt be seen as being as capable of achieving
things a man would achieve; women would be less-likely to work outside the home and get a
higher-education.
Although most people dont think theyre actually letting these stereotypes affect their
everyday lives, it all comes back to unconscious bias. Unconscious bias forms when these
specific assumptions, attitudes, beliefs, and expectations from the stereotypes stay in the back of
peoples minds. People then subconsciously let this affect their feelings and thoughts towards
and men have much more different social roles in society in the United States than in the
Dominican Republic. In the United States, although there is still some gender inequality out
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there, women and men are seen to be roughly equal. Meanwhile, in the Dominican Republic,
men definitely have more privilege and opportunities. In the novel, there is a strong sense of
machismo whereas women just have to act a certain way because of society or their familys
expectations. In the end, it all comes back to how your own culture views gender roles. Some
view women as having to be a housewife and the man is the head of the family who works and
protects the family, while others may see women as being equal to men- where they both have a
part in maintaining their children and home and both work to pay for expenses.
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Works Cited
Alvarez, Julia. How the Garca Girls Lost Their Accents. Chapel Hill, N.C:
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.487.3191&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Subordination. 2006,
www.arsrc.org/downloads/uhsss/kmabarami.pdf.
(Planned Parenthood.) Gender Identity & Roles | Feminine Traits & Stereotypes.
www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/sexual-orientation-gender/gender gender-
identity/what-are-gender-roles-and-stereotypes.
Smit, Chris. Gender Roles in Society- Masculinity & Femininity. Culture Matters, 21
Oct. 2016,
culturematters.com/culture-and-gender-roles-in-society/.